The clouds of dust and debris filling the centre of the plaza slowly began to clear.
The moment the figures standing there came into full view, every marine broke out in cold sweat that ran down their backs in streams.
Standing tall and unmistakable were Kaido of the Beasts, and Jack the Drought.
Kraaa…
A sharp cry cut through the air. A massive pteranodon wreathed in flames descended from the sky and landed right beside the two men, transforming back into human form to reveal King the Conflagration.
"GRIMM!!"
The moment they pulled themselves out of the deep crater they had created, the first thing Kaido did was not taunt his enemies, nor swing his spiked club, nor throw a single punch.
Instead, he threw his head back and let out a roar so thunderous it echoed across every corner of Marineford.
"GRIMM, YOU BASTARD! WE AGREED WE'D JUMP DOWN TOGETHER! SO WHY DIDN'T YOU COME DOWN HERE AND JOIN ME?! DAMN YOU… YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LIAR!!"
With that single shout, Kaido had completely given Grimm away, right in front of every naval officer and soldier present.
"ATTACKING MARY GEOISE MY ASS! YOU TOLD ME THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A CASUAL VISIT AND TOUR OF MARINEFORD! SO WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, HUH?!"
Grimm? Attacking Mary Geoise?!
The entire naval command was struck with fresh shock and disbelief. Surely this can't be true…?
"What do we do now? Quickly, send word to the Five Elders immediately! But first, we have to deal with Kaido and his men right here!" Sengoku ordered urgently. "Attacking Marineford was nothing more than a distraction…"
Sengoku had not even finished speaking when waves of molten rock began to surge and swirl violently around Sakazuki.
"KAIDO! I'M GOING TO BURN YOU DOWN TO ASHES!"
Shattering Flame Volcano!
Sakazuki transformed his arm into its elemental state, swelling it to dozens of times its original size.
Countless chunks of magma erupted from it, raining down like blazing meteors and striking directly against Kaido's body.
But Kaido didn't even flinch. He simply raised his spiked club, which crackled with bolts of purple lightning, and swung it with all his might. "Thunderous Eight Trigrams!"
BOOM!
Waves of fire and molten rock instantly engulfed Kaido's entire upper body. Many soldiers scrambled back in haste, terrified of being caught in the attack as well.
But contrary to all expectations, the moment Kaido's strike landed, the mass of magma surrounding him was blasted apart and scattered in every direction, splashing outward like water thrown from a bucket, spreading along the exact trajectory of his swing.
And along with the flying lava, Sakazuki—who was still partially in his elemental form—was sent flying through the air. Mid-flight, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face twisted in pain and fury.
But it was clear that Kaido had no intention of letting him escape so easily. He opened his mouth wide, and a stream of crackling purple lightning shot straight out toward his opponent.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Sakazuki was struck head-on and crashed heavily into the ground. A second later—
CRACK! BOOM!
The ground beneath him collapsed completely, and he lay in the centre of the new crater, his body covered in blood and wounds.
"Hey there, little boy… what was it you said you were going to do to me just now?" Kaido asked mockingly.
Sakazuki: ......…Is this guy really this monstrously strong?!
Though he looked gravely injured, in reality he had not suffered any lasting damage—after all, his vitality and endurance were practically limitless…
"He acted far too recklessly," Kuzan said, a sharp glint flashing beneath his sunglasses. "But there is no denying it… Kaido truly is terrifyingly powerful."
"To take a direct strike from Sakazuki and not leave even a single mark on his body… My, my… Kaido… he really is quite frightening…" Borsalino drawled slowly, dragging out every word.
While they spoke, Sakazuki had already pulled himself back up to his feet. Gasping for breath, he spat out in anger and disbelief, "Such immense strength…"
"Sakazuki, calm yourself! This man's fighting ability is equal to or even greater than that of Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself…"
At that moment, Kuzan—dressed in an outfit so flamboyant he looked more like a third-rate singer than a top-ranking marine—leapt high into the air. He stretched out his hand and fired a straight beam of freezing energy toward Kaido and his two commanders. "Frozen Time Capsule!"
A biting cold wind swept through the air, but Kaido did not move a muscle. Beside him, King the Conflagration instantly drew the long sword at his waist.
"HA!"
With a sharp shout, a wave of roaring flames burst forth from his blade, colliding directly with the freezing attack. The ice instantly turned to steam and mist, while the wall of fire neutralised the strike completely.
"Speed… is power~"
A voice that sounded both lazy and unnerving drifted through the air, and in the next moment, a face just as unpleasant as its tone appeared right before Kaido, shining with such brilliant light that Kaido was forced to narrow his eyes against it.
"Kaido have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
The words had barely left his mouth when it seemed Borsalino had finished gathering his power, and he launched a powerful kick.
But just as the blow was about to land, a massive figure stepped forward and crossed his arms tightly across his chest, taking the full force of the attack directly upon his body.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted on the spot, sending flames shooting high into the sky. Borsalino instantly transformed into light and retreated swiftly to a safe distance.
Jack lowered his arms, which had borne the brunt of the strike. While a kick travelling at the speed of light was undeniably powerful, his own defensive capabilities were nothing to scoff at either.
To use Grimm's way of putting it: he was essentially a "tank". His whole purpose was simply to stand there and take every attack that came his way. As long as his enemies could not kill him outright, he would eventually wear them down until they had no strength left—and once that happened, he would be completely unbeatable! It really did make perfect sense!
Jack believed this philosophy with all his heart, and he had even memorised a special phrase Grimm had taught him, one that all "tanks" should use.
He shouted it loud and clear across the entire plaza: "HEY ALL YOU LITTLE BRATS OF THE NAVY! WHY DON'T YOU ALL COME OVER HERE AND BE MY GRANDSONS, HUH?! WHAT DO YOU SAY?!"
The ultimate taunt…
"Hey hey… this guy is taking things way too far, isn't he?!"
"Exactly! Does he really think he can look down on every single one of us marines like this?!"
Though the soldiers standing in the plaza were trembling with fear and shock, being insulted and mocked in such crude and humiliating ways still made their blood boil with anger and resentment.
"QUIET DOWN!"
Sengoku waved his hand sharply, bringing the noise and commotion to an abrupt halt. He then raised his head and stared up into the sky above.
"Gahahahahaha… Gahahahahaha!"
A wild, maddening laugh echoed down from high among the clouds. Reinforced by Haki, it rang clearly in the ears of every single person present.
"Well then, Sengoku! I've kept my promise, haven't I? I said I'd come today, and here I am! The only difference is that I'm not the one leading the charge right now!"
"SHIKI, YOU DAMNED FOOL! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE CONTENT TO BECOME A LEGEND LIKE WHITEBEARD AND LIVE OUT YOUR DAYS IN PEACE?!"
Sengoku roared, his teeth gritted in rage. Though he had considered the possibility that Kaido might have been captured or taken prisoner by Shiki, it was now clear that this was not the case at all. Instead, they had simply joined forces and were working together to cause chaos and destruction.
"Why have you teamed up with Kaido and Grimm? And why do you intend to attack Mary Geoise?!"
When he had heard Kaido mention their plan to strike at Mary Geoise earlier, Sengoku had first felt a jolt of alarm. Yet strangely enough, deep down, he had also felt a flicker of curiosity and anticipation. What would happen if the Celestial Dragons were to die in this attack?
But he immediately pushed such thoughts aside. What am I even thinking? I am an Admiral of the Navy… and a candidate to become the next Fleet Admiral. I cannot allow myself to entertain such dangerous ideas!
But still… will the Celestial Dragons really lose their lives in all of this?! …I must admit, I really do want to find out…
But the crisis unfolding right before his eyes left him with no time to worry about events taking place thousands of miles away at Mary Geoise. He had a far more urgent problem to deal with right here and now.
There was one question that neither Sengoku nor Tsuru could figure out. Logically speaking, the stronger a pirate was, the less likely they were to ever join forces with anyone else—especially with other pirates who held the same level of power and status. They all shared the same traits: immense pride, and a deep-rooted inability to trust others.
If Roger, Shiki, and Whitebeard had joined hands ten years ago, it was highly likely that Marine Headquarters would have been completely destroyed. But the Navy had never feared such a possibility, because everyone knew that if such a thing ever happened, pigs would start flying through the sky.
Yet today… pigs had truly taken to the skies.
While Grimm represented the new generation of pirates and Shiki was a remnant of the old era, and the conflicts and rivalries between them were not as bitter as those between other figures, it was still difficult to imagine them ever agreeing to work together. Yet here they were, standing side by side as allies.
What exactly had happened to bring this about?
"Senior Tsuru…" Tsuru's subordinate, Momousagi, walked over to her side and spoke softly, waiting for her guidance.
"From what we have seen so far, it seems their plan is to use Kaido and his forces to wear down and deplete our strength and combat power…"
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